Day 8: PassoverOrnament: Doorway with Blood (Handmade ornament - House from cutout wood and painted)

Scripture: Exodus 12:1-13

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Pages 84-91 God to the Rescue!

Day 8 Synopsis: Many, many years pass since Joseph was a leader in Egypt and his family has grown enormously (as promised by God.) However, the new Pharaoh doesn't remember Joseph and is fearful that all the the Hebrews (Abraham's descendants) will overrun Egypt and takeover. So Pharaoh makes them his slaves, and God's people are very harshly treated by the Egyptians. But God has a rescue plan for His suffering people. He chooses to use a man named Moses. Moses is a Hebrew, who was born into the tribe of Levi. (Levi was one of Jacob's twelve sons.) One day he is out watching sheep when he sees a burning bush that isn't consumed by the fire. God speaks to Moses through this bush and calls Moses to serve Him and free God's people from the Egyptians.Moses meets with Pharaoh, but Pharaoh's heart is very hard and he doesn't want to lose his free labor. He refuses to let the Israelite people go. After numerous plagues are inflicted on the Egyptian people and Pharaoh failed to let God's people free, God chose to send a final plague of death. Each firstborn in Egypt would die. However, God gave a way out of this for His people. They are to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood on the top and sides of their door frames. When God passed through Egypt, He would pass-over the homes that had sacrificed the lamb and placed the blood on their doorways, and the firstborn in that home would be safe. That is why Jewish people celebrate Passover, because God passed over them and saved their firstborns. That night, many Egyptian firstborns perished, including Pharaoh's oldest.Finally, Pharaoh lets God's people go, and they flee from Egypt with Moses as their leader. This is one of the first of many rescues of God's people. But there is still one great rescue to come, and it would start with the birth of a baby named Jesus. This last rescue plan would be the greatest of them all.